Waiting for the big day....

To say that I'm excited about Caroline's arrival would be like saying that an Indy car can go faster than a moped...it's a little bit of an understatement. Unfortunately, we made it all the way through ISTEP without any excitement. I was hoping that I might be able to not have to sit here and stare at kids looking like they will literally die of boredom. Not to mention trying to control the squirrelly little boys who want nothing more than to play games with each other as soon as the test is done. It does remind me how funny it is to be a teacher at times. Take for example the power of the "Teacher's Eye." How is it that a kid can literally be sitting as far away from me as possible messing around, yet all it takes to correct the behavior is to make eye contact and use a face completely devoid of any emotion. Immediately, the response is one of silently mouthed apologies and appropriate behavior. I mean I've basically created the feeling of remorse by making eye contact. I've also figured out that, with the help of the eyebrows, I can add two other emotions that can be helpful for corrective behavior: Raise the eyebrows and suddenly I've created the feeling of embarassment. The head drops to look directly at the floor, the shoulders slump, and the body slowly slips down in the chair removing a head from the horizon of red, brown, blonde, and black. Lower the eyebrows and you create a sense of panic, like "Oh crap he saw me trying to pass this note!" The eyes mimic those of a deer in headlights. Their body goes rigid and they stare like this until you look away. They might even stop breathing, I'm not entirely sure! Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about on this last day of ISTEP.
I'll try to keep you posted as to when the big event arrives. We plan on trying to keep you up to date through our baby blog (thanks for the idea Bouses!). I've created a group on my cell phone so that I can just send a quick message that we're off to the hospital! Once you get that, then feel free to check the progress of things on the other blog: http://akwallace.blogspot.com Until then....